Commentary
of the Day - September 20, 2000: Is the California Voucher Campaign Buying
Votes?:

In the old days
of machine politics it was fairly common for party bosses to hand out "street
money" on election day to ensure a large turnout favoring their candidates.
Tim Draper, the "Silicon Valley" millionaire who is bankrolling the campaign
to establish school vouchers in California (Proposition 38 on the November
ballot) has come up with a new twist on this old game. According
to a recent story by Nancy Vogel in the
Los Angeles Times, Draper's
Yes on 38 web site is offering a variety
of prizes to people who sign up co-workers, friends and neighbors to support
the voucher campaign.

According to the
Times
report, people are encouraged to register through the Yes on 38 web site
as "team leaders". These "team leaders" then submit the names of
potential "supporters" of the voucher proposition. These potential
supporters are contacted by a private company, which encourages them to
"register" by providing their names, addresses, and phone numbers.

The prizes that
the so-called "team leaders" stand to win are substantial. They include
Apple I-Mac computers, $2,000 Macy's gift certificates, and even an eight
day trip to Hawaii for four people.

Even though the
California Secretary of State's Office has ruled that these gifts do not
constitute vote buying, the IP would like to point out that the so-called
"team leaders" are not employees of the Yes on 38 campaign, nor were they
volunteers before they were enticed to the campaign by the opportunity
to receive these lucrative prizes. This comes about as close to vote
buying as one can get without actually violating state election codes.
Opponents of the voucher proposition
claim that the tactics being employed on the Yes on 38 web site are born
of desperation. Indeed, the latest poll by the Public Policy Institute
of California shows the voucher proposition losing by a 53% to 47% margin.

In the long run,
the tactics of the Yes on 38 folks may well backfire. In the past
the voting public in California has had a tendency to react negatively
to attempts to buy elections. Michael Huffington's ill-fated U.S.
Senate campaign is a good example. The campaign in favor of the Proposition
38 is being funded largely from Draper's personal fortune rather than from
an outpouring of contributions from the public. Voters may well look
on the Yes on 38 campaign as just another attempt by a wealthy individual
to push his own agenda.

In a previous
article The Irascible Professor examined the arguments both for and
against the Proposition 38 voucher proposal. In the IP's view, the
voting public needs to examine these arguments carefully. The outcome
of the election could determine the course of public education in California
for decades to come. Free computers and Hawaiian vacations only serve
to divert public attention from the basic issues involved.
Draper would do well to forget the gimmicks and to let the election be
decided on the issues.